Addictions are very prevalent in our society, and some of those addictions severely punished, while others are totally socially acceptable or even praised. An addiction can be to a substance, thing, or activity. This could be a drug, alcohol, nicotine, shopping, gambling, sex, work, food, control, adrenaline, etc.
For the purpose of this article, we are going to talk about food, but these can easily be translated to other substances or activities. However, addressing addiction to a drug or alcohol often requires assistance from trained professionals to address, whereas addressing addition to a food tends to be much safer to address on our own.
Neurotransmitters come into the picture as they play a major role in addiction. Neurotransmitters are little chemical messengers that our nervous system uses, released from the synapse (or end) or one nerve fiber to another. They affect how we feel, our mood, and our energy (a lot more than that in reality, but these are the functions we are going to talk about here.
Usually, when we crave a certain food, we crave the feeling it will give us. We eat certain things, when we’re not hungry, as they give us a feeling, and food is an easy way to do that. We impulsively check our email or social media for the same reason - for the excitement it gives. The neurotransmitters we are going to address here are serotonin, dopamine, and gaba.
Serotonin
Serotonin makes us feel happy, comforted, makes us feel self-confident, helps us have a positive outlook and emotional flexibility. Seasonal affective disorder (the winter blues) are majorly triggered by a lack of serotonin as sunlight stimulates the production of serotonin. Symptoms that indicate that you may have a lack of serotonin include:
negativity, depression
winter blues
low self-esteem
obsessive thoughts or behaviours
worry, anxiety
*Stress also depletes serotonin, and it is estimated that 75% of the population has a level of serotonin deficiency. So you’re not alone here.
Cravings linked with a serotonin deficiency:
afternoon or evening cravings
comfort food
sweets
starches
breads and pastries
chocolate
tobacco
Dopamine
Dopamine makes us feel alert, enthusiastic, driven and motivated. It also plays a major role in our energy, drive, and mental focus. Signs that you are low on dopamine include:
fatigue
lack of focus or concentration
lack of energy
easily bored
depression (where you just want to sleep all day)
symptoms of ADD (attention deficit disorder)
Cravings linked with a dopamine deficiency:
sweets
starches
chocolate
caffeine
tobacco
alcohol
social media
*Substances and activities that give us a ‘dopamine hit’, or stimulate dopamine release, are common addictions. A ‘dopamine hit’ is the feeling of happiness, alertness, and motivation that we get after doing achieving something, hearing good news, buying something new, exercising, seeing new likes on our social media post, etc.
Gaba
Gaba, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is the neurotransmitter that makes us feel calm and relaxed. Signs of a gaba deficiency include:
Over-stressed or unable to manage stress
Feeling overwhelmed easily
Unable to relax or fall asleep
Cavings linked with a gaba deficiency:
Sweets
Starches
Alcohol
Tobacco
As you can see in these lists, we crave similar foods in all three neurotransmitter deficiencies, so what is important to identify is what feeling that food gives you. Is it comfort, is it a pick me up, or is it a very calming and soothing food for you? We can also have more than one neurotransmitter deficiency, which is not uncommon.
Once you have identified what feeling you are going for, there are many tools to use to take control of these cravings, including:
self-talk
meditation
exercise
stress reduction techniques
sunlight
etc.
We also typically use supplements to support neurotransmitter production. You can read about those here.
The first step in addressing your food cravings is identifying what is causing them. And just to be clear, there are other triggers for food cravings, including blood sugar imbalances, yeast overgrowth, and nutrient deficiencies, but we can usually circle back to a neurotransmitter as well. Once this is identified, it becomes much easier to get rid of those cravings forever!